WHILE torture in China’s 700 prisons was outlawed in 1996, there is evidence it is still rife.

Yet a ruling earlier this year made evidence gained through torture inadmissible in court.

Although reliable statistics are difficult to come by, at least 15 suspicious deaths were reported in early 2009 alone.

Last month, Qi Yeqiang, 22, died after reportedly being suffocated by his quilt in his sleep.

And last year, Li Qiaoming, 24, died from horrific injuries to his head and body – authorities said he ran blindfolded into a prison wall during a game of hide-and-seek.

Torture methods are said to range from electric shocks and sexual violence to burning, force-feeding and savage beatings.

As well as the official penal system, last year China promised to clamp down on “black jails” – illegal prisons operated in state-run hotels, nursing homes or psychiatric hospitals in which beatings and sexual violence were said to be rife.

Official statistics claim there are 1,620,000 prisoners in one of two types of prison – “regular” jails or “re-education-through-labour” camps.

Unofficial estimates, however, suggest that the real figure is ­actually a million higher.